Andrew Sullivan pointed me today to this Daniel Larison piece , which labels this idea “The Crazy Kashmir Option.”  Larison and some commenters essentially argue that the dispute is extremely thorny with the risks of the situation ‘blowing up’ perhaps the biggest credible nightmare scenario on the current geopolitical scene (all that is my phrasing), that India in no way wants U.S. intervention (although Pakistan might) and that in fact any attempts of the U.S. to intervene would only make India less likely to do any kind of deal.

Pakistani and American ground troops exchanged fire along the border with Afghanistan on Thursday, a top American military official said, ratcheting up tensions as the United States increases its attacks against militants in Pakistan’s restive tribal areas.

The clash started after the Pakistanis fired shots or flares at two American helicopters that Pakistan says had crossed its border.

The two American OH-58 Kiowa reconnaissance helicopters were not damaged and no casualties were reported.

But American and Pakistani officials agreed on little else about what happened.

The blast, one of the worst acts of terrorism in Pakistan’s history, went off just a few hundred yards from the prime minister’s house, where all the leaders of government were dining after the president’s address to Parliament.

The toll was expected to grow because of reports that people had been trapped inside the six-story hotel, which has been a favorite meeting spot of both foreigners and well-connected Pakistanis in the heart of the capital. The building was quickly engulfed in flames and continued to burn for hours Saturday night.

The bomb left a vast crater, 40 feet wide and 25 feet deep, at the security barrier to the hotel.

Incredible pictures from the New York Times. H.F.S.

via the vertiginous chapati